Until the last breath
by The fishes
Summary: Sequel to "The ones we love". Remus visits Lily and James' graves after his fight with Harry the night he offers to tag along with them in their journey.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is the queen.**

It was a stormy night in August when a drunk man appeared outside the graveyard of the church at Godric's Hollow. He fumbled at the kissing gate, stumbling towards a marble tombstone, the final resting ground of his family. The rain beat down his back like a hundred cold needles. He fell a few feet away from his destination. Losing all will to walk he crawled towards the headstone. The rain had washed away all dirt from the headstone. It shone brightly, the names on the headstone much clearer than the last time he visited them.

 _James Potter, born 27 March 1960, died 31 October 1981_

 _Lily Potter, born 30 January 1960, died 31 October 1981_

 _The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death._

He believed that he will find some peace, some solace here but the words kept reverberating in his head. Harry had called him a coward. The baby that used to calm down as soon as he lifted him in his arms after he had woken up from a nightmare had called him a _coward._ He screamed at the night, unleashing his agony bottled in him for years. He wept bitterly; life had never been fair to him. In another life, he would have been free of his curse; he would have been Remus Lupin, a professor at Hogwarts. In another life James, Lily and Sirius would be alive. Harry would know him as Uncle Remus, who would drop by on Sundays for the weekly Sunday Brunch. In another life he would be sitting in Lily and James drawing room, telling them about his wife's pregnancy. In another life his child won't have his curse; his child won't hate him, won't be ashamed of him. In another life, his child would have a happy childhood but he was living this life; where he was Remus Lupin the werewolf; a man in his late thirties, husband of Nymphadora Tonks who was pregnant with his child. And he had nothing to offer to this child. He screamed at the night again, sobbing like the broken man he felt he was.

How long he laid there crying he didn't know, but when his sobs subsided and he regained some of his usual calm, he sat up. Closing his eyes; he was there again, at their cottage, with Lily holding him as he cried and James offering him a cup of strong coffee while Sirius sat on the floor playing with Harry to keep him distracted but he could feel their disapproval rolling off them. For once he was happy that they loved him enough to not reject him outright.

"I am sorry, Remus but I don't see your point or reason" Lily would burst out as James would pace and Sirius would whisk out Harry to put him to bed. "You don't even know if the child will inherit your problem and even if he does the fact that you are running out on him is much more shameful than having a werewolf for a father."

"You don't understand-" he protested weakly to be slapped by the wind and the rain.

"Understand what Moony?" James asked his eyes ablaze with fire, "Harry was born with a fucking prophecy hanging on his head. Now we know for sure that Voldemort's after him. What should we have done when we found out? Let him die in Lily's womb because the life we would bring him to is a terrible one with a lunatic hunting us down? Think about what you are saying Moony."

"It's not the same-"

"Not the same? Not the same? Damn right it's not the same. You don't know if your child will be werewolf or not. We know Harry is being hunted. Don't even think for a minute that we don't fear that he will hate us for bringing him in a world where he has a prize on his head. It doesn't mean that we would abandon him with the excuse of keeping him safe. Keeping him safe from what? There is a war going on, no one is safe, you don't even know if you will live tomorrow, how can you abandon your child in such an environment? Really Moony, I have been proud of you all my life, I don't feel so proud right now."

"Listen Remus" Lily would cut in to save him from James' rare to concur wrath "It's perfectly fine to be scared of the future. All of us are, but leaving Dora in such a state is not just cowardice but completely unfair to her. I know you are ready to die for Harry; why can't you love your child enough to want to be there for him? If the worst happens and the child is a werewolf then you bring him/her up in a way that they are able to accept the affliction and be able to lead a normal life. And we would always be there for him/her, so would Harry. He would look out for the child regardless, you know that. You know your child will be loved, Harry would see to that."

"I agree with Lily Moony" Sirius would say walking in nodding slightly to James who would leave the room to go to Harry's nursery. "We know nothing; it's not fair on Tonks to be abandoned in such a way. With the way you are treating her, I doubt if you ever loved her."

"Of course I love her" he screamed enraged at the insinuation, how dare anyone doubt his love for Dora. Can't they see that he loved her so much that he was ready to break his heart to pieces and walk away from her to save her the pain of looking at him and being reminded of the curse he placed on their child.

"Then show it. Abandoning her while she is pregnant with your child doesn't really say love if you ask me. If the child turns out to be a werewolf, how will she handle it? How will she raise your child alone?"

"But what if she hates me for cursing her child?" He sobbed to the wind.

"Remus, she won't hate you for being there for your child" Lily would say gently "But she might hate you for abandoning her. And your child would love you, no matter what you are. Give him/her a chance to know you at least. Go back to Dora, Remus."

He nodded, before letting a sob out again. "I hit Harry; I hit Harry for saying the things I didn't want to hear. Will he ever forgive me?"

"Harry shouldn't have said what he said." Lily would say frowning, "And you shouldn't have hurt him. But what's done is done. Harry has already forgiven you; you understand why he reacted badly. It will be fine."

Remus nodded. The rain had given way to a mild drizzle, he leant his forehead against the head stone and sat like this till dawn. At dawn a cold and drenched Remus, stood up and walked away, vanishing outside the kissing gate. The storm had blown away, and a soft breeze blew over the headstone. If you listened hard, you could hear a man and a woman, calming another man down, telling him that their friend is going to be fine.

 **AN: So this is not the end of this fic. It would again be a three chapter fic. Please read and review. Happy Reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: The characters belong to J.K. Rowling**

Andromeda sighed as she watched Nymphadora slip into a fitful slumber induced from her emotional exhaustion. Nymphadora had arrived hours ago at her door, hysterical about Remus abandoning her and their child. Andromeda knew Remus; she believed that he was a brave man. She assured Nymphadora that Remus must have just stepped out to deal with the news, maybe he was visiting Lily and James; maybe he wanted to share this news with them. Nymphadora was a mess; she kept weeping and saying that he had abandoned them. When she had informed him of her pregnancy, he looked at her as if she had betrayed him; he had said as much before leaving. She was convinced that he has left her, Andromeda knew better. She had seen how much Remus loved her precious child, he won't leave her. But her belief wavered as the night waned. It was almost dawn; there was no sign of Remus. Where was he? If he didn't return soon, his absence would crush Nymphadora.

Nymphadora was tough, Andromeda knew that much but then she remembered last year, how Nymphadora had lost her morphing abilities, it had malfunctioned all because Remus had spurned her love. If Remus abandons her now, what would it do to her and her child? And why would Remus abandon her? Nymphadora was pregnant with _his_ child not with some other man's; not that Nymphadora would ever be unfaithful. She was too fair to be unfaithful, just like her father.

Andromeda sat in the kitchen sipping her tea. She missed Ted, she missed his carefree laugh and quick wit everyday; but she missed his strength and soothing words now. She was worried about him; she didn't even know where he was. Well no news was good news but she could do with a little message here and there. What would Ted do in such a situation, stay home to comfort his Dorie, his little warrior princess or go out looking for Remus and convince him to come back home?

If Remus doesn't return by this morning, she would go look for him on her own. She would convince, threaten, beg and hex him if need be into coming back to her daughter; for once she didn't care that she was denying him his choice or she would be forcing him to come back; for the first time in decades she would act like a Black should act and not take "no" for an answer. Andromeda sighed, before picking up her cup of tea and walking to the drawing room to sink in Ted's favourite armchair. The armchair made her feel safe, as if Ted was holding her and telling her that everything would be fine. She summoned a thick album from the shelf and started looking at the pictures. Ted and her wedding, Nymphadora's birth, their first Christmas together as a family, Nymphadora's childhood, 11 year old Nymphadora going to Hogwarts for the first time, Nymphadora's graduation from Hogwarts, her graduation from Auror academy and her wedding with Remus. That was the last time she had seen Ted and he had assured her that everything would be fine. Now, their daughter's life was falling apart and she didn't know what to do.

There was a loud Bang on the door, Andromeda jumped to her feet, her wand trained at the door, as Nymphadora ran down the stairs, her wand ready, eyes alert and one hand resting protectively around her stomach. "Who is there?" Andromeda called loudly. The door was magically sealed, and would only open if Andromeda, who had placed the charm, lifted it. "It is I Remus Lupin, Werewolf, and Husband of your daughter Nymphadora. You, the secret keeper of this establishment gave me the address and permission to come seek you in my hour of need." Andromeda waved her wand, the door opened to reveal a dishevelled Remus standing at the threshold and then lowered her wand in relief. But Nymphadora kept her wand trained on him; they stared at each other for a split second before Remus crossed the room in a trice, pulled Nymphadora in his arms and kissed her.

Nymphadora slapped him hard, as soon as she broke away from the kiss. For the first time Andromeda realized that Nymphadora did indeed have Black blood in her. Her eyes were cold and grey and they flashed with anger.

"How dare you, Remus Lupin." She growled "How dare you walk away from me like that? How dare you come back after being gone for 15 hours without any hint of your whereabouts and kiss me as if nothing happened? How dare you make me feel guilty for being pregnant when I was ecstatic last morning that I was carrying your child? How dare you even think of abandoning our child? And for WHAT?" Nymphadora shrieked.

"You think that if you leave this, if you leave us he would have a better future? If you are so convinced that you have passed on your werewolf gene to the baby, do you think the child would be better off without you? You know I fell in love with you, because you remained a good man despite losing everything you had, despite facing prejudice from the wizarding world. I fell in love with you because you were fair to everyone even when life had been unfair to you. I fell in love with your selflessness, your need to think of everyone's welfare before yours. When I found out that I am pregnant, I was sure you would make a great father, even if I were to be a lousy mother because you would always put the child's happiness before our happiness and you left. How could you be so selfish Remus? How could you reject a child for an affliction that wasn't even his fault? How can you treat your child the same way the world has treated you? How could you Remus, how could you?" Her voice cracked, Andromeda who had moved to the kitchen to give the couple some privacy wanted to run out and comfort her child but she knew that Remus and Nymphadora had to work this out together.

Remus murmured something as Dora sobbed harder. They kept talking for more than one hour; Andromeda busied herself with making breakfast. Remus and Nymphadora walked in, Remus looked ashamed but happy, Nymphadora had her walls up but there was unmistakable glimpse hope shimmering in her eyes. Andromeda asked the young couple to stay over for the course of Dora's pregnancy. As a healer at St. Mungo's Andromeda had enough experience with child birth and regular health checkups. Since Dora could not visit the hospital without jeopardizing her life, it would be better if she stayed with Andromeda, so that she is cared for. Remus agreed, with the war going on, all three of them were targets, he wanted to keep Dora's pregnancy a secret to keep the baby safe.

Remus and Dora took the guest room and Dora's room was converted into the nursery it originally was. In the following months, Remus kept going out to work for the Order and help run the radio station _Potterwatch._ Andromeda knew, that Remus still felt guilty about the way he parted ways with Harry. He had told them everything the day he had returned. Dora had been terribly quiet that day, it took time but Remus was able to gain her trust. She no longer looked at him as if he was about to run away, nor did she worry about his leaving home on Order business, fearing he would never return. Molly was a regular visitor; mostly she was the one fulfilling all of Nymphadora's pregnancy induced cravings. Months passed and Remus and Dora were the quintessential happy couple ready to welcome a well loved child to this world. It was on one of those days after New Year when Remus returned from Order's work and informed them that Ted was murdered by death eaters, they found his body along with the bodies of two Goblins.

Andromeda felt as if her heart had been carved out of her chest. She fell in Ted's armchair. Dora was crying bitterly in Remus' arms, one hand making soothing circles on her stomach to calm the excited baby that had felt his mother's distress. Andromeda wanted to weep with her daughter, go hunt down her own sister and punish her for allowing the death of Ted Tonks but she sat in Ted's armchair, her face a stoic mask, devoid of all emotions. Nymphadora's morphing skills were already creating some problems in her pregnancy, as her body would start shifting size when she lost control of her emotions and that was bad for the baby. She had to calm down her daughter before her grief killed the baby. Taking a deep breath Andromeda went to the kitchen to make some tea and then proceeded to calm her daughter down. After tucking Nymphadora in her bed, Andromeda walked back to her room, crawled down to Ted's side of the bed, wrapped in one of his robes and sobbed for her loss. She had lost her saviour today, he saved her from the pureblood mania of her family and taught her to love and hope and be kind and gave her Nymphadora. She promised Ted that she would keep their daughter safe and happy, like he always wanted her to be.

It was a week before Easter, when Bill Weasley flooed into her kitchen and informed them that Harry Potter had turned up at their doorstep and was currently residing with them. Remus almost leapt out of the chair to go meet Harry before sitting back down looking dejected. After Bill left Nymphadora encouraged him to go meet the Godfather of their child and ask him formally. Andromeda and Remus stared at her shocked.

"Don't be so shocked." She said rolling her eyes, "Harry fought for our child even before the child was born, if something happens to us, I know Harry would take good care of the baby."

Andromeda was a little skeptical, after all Harry was barely an adult himself and the most wanted man in wizarding world but she held her tongue. The decision to pick out Godparents rested with the parents of the child; she would trust Nymphadora's judgement. Remus said he needed time to muster up his courage to face Harry but his time was cut short when Teddy decided to meet the world.

On 15th April 1998 Dora gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy. Andromeda cried with joy when Teddy Remus Lupin came out of his mother's womb, protesting loudly about being out in this cold dry world. Andromeda cleaned him up before passing him to Remus and leaving the room to give the new parents some privacy. Offering his little finger to Teddy, Remus kissed his forehead before turning to his wife.

"I was an idiot!" He informed her still dazed, Dora gave him a tired grin, "No I am serious Dora." He said moving towards her bed and sitting down beside her, baby Teddy in his arms. "Look at him! He is beautiful, he is perfect. I love him. How could I be so stupid to want to leave him?" He kissed Teddy's forehead again, "Thank you Dora" He said kissing her forehead; she smiled at him, looking at Teddy wistfully. "Do you want to hold him?"

She shook her head, looking mortified. "What if I drop him? You know how clumsy I am."

He laughed and kissed her forehead, "I will catch him I promise. Now come on, fold your arms, to make space for the baby. Good. Here, watch his head; support his neck and that's it. See you are holding your baby."

Teddy opened his eyes to look at his mother "Hello, Teddy. I am your mum and that old man there is your dad." Dora smiled, "And Teddy, you are changing your eye colour and look your hair is getting lighter too. I just want you to know, no matter what shape you take, I will always love you, Teddy Bear." Dora whispered to Teddy before kissing his forehead and giving him back to Remus. Teddy went back to sleep in less than five minutes, putting Teddy in his cot, and kissing a sleeping Nymphadora on her head; Remus went to the kitchen to inform Andromeda that he would be stepping out for a bit to inform everyone else about Teddy's birth and that he would be back soon.

The graveyard at Godric's Hollow had never looked more welcoming. It was as if the wind itself was celebrating the birth of his son. He found the marble headstone he was looking for and sank down facing it. He could hear James' whoop of joy, Sirius cheer and Lily's shrieks.

Touching his forehead to the headstone he whispered, "Thank you, without you, I would not have known this joy. Lily I know you will watch him from wherever you are. Be his Godmother, Harry will be the Godfather, it has to be him. He defended Teddy, even before Teddy was born. He is a good man; he will take care of Teddy if by the end of this war I join you and become Teddy's invisible guardian. I know this visit is short, but I really must get going. I would love to stay and chat, but it's not safe to be out in the open for a long time. When all of this is over, I will bring Dora and Teddy to visit you. Goodbye."

Remus walked out of the kissing gate, trying to shake off the feeling that he was being watched. He turned left and right, checking again, the graveyard was empty at this time of the night. Shrugging he vanished into thin air. Severus Snape walked out of the shadows staring at the spot where Lupin stood a few minutes ago. He walked to the marble headstone and focused on Lily's name, like he did every year on his birthday. 18 years were a long time to live with someone's memory and Severus craved to join Lily wherever she was. He knew he won't be where she is even if he died now, his soul was tainted and torn, he would never be near something as pure as Lily's soul but he hoped that his penance in this life would be enough to help him see her one last time so that he could apologise for everything. Placing the Lily he had brought for her on her grave, he turned and walked out of the kissing gate, vanishing into thin air just like Lupin had done a few minutes ago.

 **AN: I am not really sure why I introduced Severus Snape but now that I have I will create a spin off on his life. Please do Read and Review. Happy reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: The Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling**

2nd May 1998

Remus walked into the nursery after dinner, with Teddy in his arms humming the lullaby Lily used to sing to Harry. Remus paced the room with Teddy in his arms watching his colourful hair turn to sandy brown slowly. Remus smiled softly, his child was his precious gem. When Teddy had cried for the first time in his arms, his eyes had pricked; he felt his heart break when he couldn't calm his baby down. Andromeda had taught him then that crying is the only form of communication for a baby, so they cry when they feel hungry or sleepy or when they want to be held. Teddy whimpered in his sleep, he had been unusually fussy today clinging to Dora and then him.

Remus was about to put Teddy in his cot when Arthur's patronus landed gracefully on the floor.

" _Harry appeared at Hogwarts. We are fighting. Apprate directly inside Hogshead. Hurry, the battle can begin anytime."_

Remus stared at the spot where the patronus had been, looking up he saw Andromeda and Dora standing by the door. Andromeda's face had gone white while Dora's eyes took a determined glint; Remus knew he would have to fight Dora for this one. He crossed the room with Teddy in his arms; Andromeda took Teddy from him and went downstairs they waited till her footsteps had died down.

"Dora-"

"No! I am coming. I can't stay back here not knowing. I _won't_ stay back here; I am a fully trained Auror for heaven's sake!"

"I never doubted your abilities, Dora." He said impatiently, time was running out, he had to reach Hogwarts.

"Then I suppose we should be going together. We don't have time." She said turning and starting to walk down the hall.

"You can't come Dora." She whirled around; eyes on fire.

"Why not? We just established that I am a skilled Auror and I can take care of myself."

"I know but who would look after Teddy?"

"My mum can look after him for a night." She said crossing her arms across her chest, looking at him angrily.

"It's a battle Dora. Might as well be the last battle for wizarding Britain. No one knows if we would survive the night or not. I would not leave Teddy _orphaned."_ He hissed the last word out angrily.

Dora's hair was bright red by now. She looked livid. "And why must you be the one to go? You would make a better parent than me if one of us dies, I should go do this."

Remus looked at her angrily, why didn't she understand? He could not lose her too. He had lost everyone; he won't be able to live with her loss. "I can't- You can't- I won't" He ran his hand through his hair, pulling at it, he looked in her eyes, his eyes filled with sorrow and grief. "I just can't" he choked.

"Yeah well, I can't either."

He looked at her again, his face a tortured mask. "Dora" he whispered, "Dora please. I beg you, give me this one thing and I won't ask for anything ever again. Teddy needs you, much more than he needs me right now." Her eyes were defiant. He sighed and pulled her in his arms, she struggled to get out but he held her waist with one arm, as his other reached up to cup the back of her neck. He brushed his thumb on her cheek. She looked away from him.

"Dora" he said his voice constricted, "I know you can take care of yourself, I also know you can take care of Teddy and protect him. If I die tonight, you would be able to support him financially and emotionally. If we lose you tonight, how will I provide for Teddy? No one gives jobs to werewolves, you know that. And you have just been through a difficult pregnancy, your body is recovering and it isn't recovering well enough because you are not getting enough rest. I know you can fight, but this battle can go on for days, what if you tire out and make a stupid mistake? Like I said before, Teddy needs you more than he needs me."

She smacked him on his chest before burrowing her face there. "I hate you." She muttered. He smiled, his grip tightening on her waist, he dunked his down to her ear "I love you too." He whispered. She parted with though still in his arms and looked at him, her hands cupping his cheeks. "I hate when you fight with your logic. Teddy needs you too; in fact both of us need you. I can't stay here Remus; I would go crazy not knowing. I promised to you, I won't ever let you be alone, not like that. I can't let you walk out alone now." She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. Remus felt his resolve break, he needed her; he needed her like the air he needed to keep him alive. All he wanted to right now was to pull her into their bedroom, shut the door and this godforsaken war out and spend the rest of his life discovering the hidden corners of her body. Drown himself in her sighs and moans, kiss every inch of her skin, lose himself inside her and do it all over again and again and again.

They broke the kiss, Remus' mind protested. The harsh reality of the battle came back to him, he had to leave and she had to stay. "Dora, love. Stay here please. If this doesn't end well. If he wins, someone would have to stay and fight or make sure that Teddy and Andromeda are protected. Stay here for the night. If the worst happens and we lose, I will come back tomorrow morning and we would escape to Spain. Stay here and make arrangements for a quick escape. If we lose, we need to get away as soon as possible. Can you do that?"

She gave him a fierce look, telling him that she knew he was trying to distract her. He wouldn't run away even if they lose, he would fight till the end and so would she. Andromeda and Teddy however, needed to get out. She nodded; Remus gave a sigh of relief before gathering her up in a bone crushing her. "I love you Dora. Don't you ever forget that." She clung to his neck, "I love you too Remus" she whispered frantically, "Come back home to me. We need you." She gave him a last searing kiss before breaking away and running down to the drawing room. Remus looked around at Teddy's nursery. He saw a stack of pictures on the chest of drawers. He picked up those pictures, sifting through them and pocketed the one with Teddy in it. He walked to his room and opened his closet, pulling out two stacks of envelopes and a vial of his blood. He walked back to the nursery and placed the envelopes next to the pictures before walking down to the drawing room.

Teddy was awake and cooing in Andromeda's arms while Dora was sitting next to her, a hand gently laid on Teddy's head which was a mix of bright pink and turquoise. Tears were falling from Dora's eyes and her hair turned to the mousy brown she had sported almost a year ago. Andromeda looked up as Remus entered and smiled sadly at him as he sat down next to her. Andromeda passed Teddy to Remus, whose hair immediately turned to sandy brown. He cooed at Remus, flailing his legs in the air. Remus smiled at him before kissing his forehead "Hey, big guy! Now, you have to take care of your mum and grandma for me okay?" Teddy cooed, sucking his fist; Remus grinned "Nothing much, just make sure they laugh and smile all the time." His throat constricted over his next words, "Teddybear, if I don't make it tonight." He inhaled deeply, before putting his mouth next to Teddy's ear "I want you to remember that Daddy loves you." Teddy ran a sticky hand on his cheek, cooing sleepily. Remus swiftly kissed his son's forehead before handing him back to Andromeda.

Andromeda shifted Teddy to one arm as she patted Remus' cheek with the other hand. "I know you will come back, Remus. I will take care of them till then." She smiled at him "I hate to see you leave though. I wish the war was over. When it will all be over, we will be a proper family. I would be the nagging mother in law, finding faults with the way you raise your children." Remus grinned at her, he knew this was Andromeda's way of telling him that she cared about him and wanted him back home soon. He engulfed Andromeda in a hug. "I promise, I would get mad at you and point out that my children are much more mature at their age than their mother with hot pink hair, who was raised by you." He said grinning broadly. Dora sniffed and glared at him, as he winked at her. She got up and stalked to the door angrily. He shook his head before turning to Andromeda and holding his palm up, "There is enough blood in this vial for two portraits, if I don't make it back, you know what to do." Andromeda took the vial, looking at Remus as if she wanted to say something but thought better of it and leaned her head on his shoulder. Remus kissed her forehead and followed Dora's trail to the door, pulling his travelling cloak from the hook near the door and shrugging it on. He looked at her, as she stood there, sulking with her arms folded across her chest.

"Dora" he sighed her name as he pulled her in his arms, "I love you." She blew out a breath, "I love you too. Come back home soon?" He laughed before lifting her up for a last kiss. He kissed her hungrily, greedily, as if he won't get to kiss her again. Their tongues explored each other's mouths like it was their first kiss. He tried to put all his love for her in one kiss, she did the same. Too soon, much too soon they parted, breathing heavily. He pulled back from her and kissed her forehead softly before and opened the door "Don't worry, you won't get rid of me this easily. I will be back soon, hopefully bearing excellent news. Then I will drag you to our room, lock the door, place a silencing charm and shag you senseless." He said grinning deviously at her before walking out.

"Sounds like a plan!" She called after him. He laughed before turning on spot and disappearing with a soft _pop._ Moments later he appeared at Hogshead, "Merlin's beard! This is a pub! Not a godforsaken train station!" Aberforth Dumbledore complained as he saw Remus. "And what are you doing here Lupin? Shouldn't you be home, with your wife and child?"

"Nice to see you too, Aberforth. I was told I had to apparate directly into your pub, I guess I should be heading to the school." Remus said, moving for the door.

"You can't go out." Aberforth said sullenly, "There is a caterwauling charm and all the entrances to the school are blocked, even the secret passages are blocked." Remus frowned.

"So, how are we supposed to get to the school?"

"Go upstairs; my sister's portrait would open to a path leading you to the room of requirement, that's where all of them are."

"What in the name of Merlin's snitch covered boxers is the room of requirement?"

Aberforth's beard twitched but before he could answer someone appeared out of thin air on Remus' right. Remus spun, wand out before looking at the familiar face of "KINGSLEY!" he yelled happily, pulling Kinglsey Shacklebolt in a hug, "How did you get here?"

"Got a message from Arthur. Said Harry popped up at Hogwarts and the battle is beginning. I tell you Remus, that kid is a raving lunatic. Brilliant but crazy. Not only has he successfully broken into the ministry, stunned the senior undersecretary and freed a lot of doomed people. This morning he broke into Gringotts, stole something and managed to escape on a dragon!" Kingsley's booming laugh followed his declaration.

Remus gaped at Kingsley, "I- I- I- thought Gringotts was just a rumour." Kingsley grinned at him. "Blimey! James and Sirius would have been proud of Harry for breaking in and escaping from Gringotts but to successfully steal something. Even Sirius wouldn't have dreamt of it." Remus said before laughing.

"Anyway, we should get going."

"Yeah." Remus headed up the stairs, with Kingsley on his heels.

"How are we getting into the castle then?"

"Aberforth said his sister's portrait opened into a passage to the castle. Apparently, that's the only way in, the passage opens to some crazy contraption called the room of requirement. Have you heard of it before?"

Kingsley shook his head. "So, where is Tonks? I imagine she wanted to come along."

Remus sighed, "She did but I convinced her to stay at home with her mum. Teddy is barely two weeks old, though he looks like he is six weeks old. But still, he needs her. I reckon if he has to have one parent alive, it should be her."

"Bet she chewed you out for not letting her come. She is not someone who shies away from a fight."

Remus nodded looking morose, Kingsley laughed at his expression. "Hey, cheer up. The death eaters are going to be a piece of cake compared to Tonks." Remus laughed, as they started climbing the short flight of steps at the end of the passage. Remus followed Kingsley and clambered into a room he swore he had never seen in the castle. It was huge, with hammocks hanging in blue and bronze, black and yellow and red and gold. The Weasleys were there, so were a lot of Hogwarts' and his ex students, not to mention more than half of the current seventh and sixth year students. Remus greeted everyone before looking around at his students. The room was charged with energy and anticipation but the more Remus looked around the more he was disgusted with what he saw. Nearly all of the current students were sporting injuries of some sort. Neville looked like a large animal had used him as a chew toy and then spit him out, Seamus looked worse but their injuries were healing. Terry Boot looked like someone had whipped him with nail, his robes were soaked with his blood, though Parvati Patil was helping him apply the essence of Dittany to help heal him. Nearly all of them smiled bravely and radiantly at him when he caught their eye, for some reason Remus felt his chest expand with pride at the sight of his students. It was difficult to believe that these were the same children he had taught. All of them had come a long way.

"So, what is going on? What are we waiting for?" He asked to the person next to him not really seeing who it was.

"We are waiting for Harry to come back; Luna took him to the Ravenclaw tower. They should be coming back soon. We would know the rest of the details as soon as he returns." Bill Weasley replied.

"What is this room though? I have never even heard of it." He muttered more to himself than to anyone else.

"Do you hear that Georgie! The legendary marauders don't know about the room of requirement." Fred Weasley said grinning at Remus cheekily.

"I hear that Freddie, what do you say should we tell him about it?"

"Sure, they told us about the secret passages."

"The room of requirement, my dear Moony-"

"As the name suggests is a room which would be anything you require"

"Like a broom closet if you need to hide from Filch"

"Or a room to hide your failed experiments."

"Or a room for an illegal students group so that they could hide away and practice magic." The two finished together.

"It is still creepy, when you two finish your sentences together." Remus muttered as the twins hi fived each other.

"So, where is this room?"

"7th floor, behind the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy." Fred replied.

"And how do you access it?"

"You just walk along the corridor, three times, thinking of the kind of room you require and then you can put in requests- like ask for a bathroom" George said pointing towards the toilets.

"Or hammocks" Fred said pointing at the hammocks

"Or secret passages out of the school." George said grinning at Remus.

"Hey! I remember this room!" Remus exclaimed, "We had to hide in here one night because filch was on the prowl. He was new here then, and vicious. This was an abandoned classroom back then. We never found it again though."

The twins nodded as Bill muttered "fascinating" under his breath. Just then the door opened and Harry appeared, slipping on the steps in shock. Remus was the first to reach him, "Harry, what's happening?" he asked as he met Harry at the foot of the stairs.

"Voldemort's on his way, they're barricading the school- Snape's run for it- what are you doing here? How did you know?"

"We sent messages to the rest of Dumbledore's Army," Fred told Harry cheerfully. "You couldn't expect everyone to miss the fun, Harry, and the DA let the Order of the Phoenix know, and it all kind of snowballed."

"What first, Harry?" George piped up. "What's going on?"

"They're evacuating the younger kids and everyone is meeting in the great hall to get organised," Harry said. "We're fighting."

 **AN: Okay, so it looks like it would be longer than the three chapter fic, I initially envisioned it to be. Probably a couple of more chapters for the completion of the fic. I hope you like it. Please do read and review. Happy Reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I don't own it.  
Some of the dialogues could be found in pages 485, 486, 487, 488 and 490 from the book- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.**

Remus had to cover his ears; the roar from his colleagues and students was too much for his sensitive ears. He backed up against the wall, rubbing his ears and saw Bill next to him rubbing his hands on his ears. "Stupid Werewolf senses. Advanced hearing is good but I get a headache when someone yells. This feels like a herd of hippogriffs stomped on my ears." Remus nodded, grinning slightly, as he watched Molly catch the back of Ginny's clothes and struggle with her to prevent her from joining the battle. He couldn't hear what was being said as the noise in the room was too loud but he knew that Molly would rather die than let Ginny join the battle.

"Mum, geroff!" Ginny said pulling away from Molly. "I am not a child. I can take care of-"

"Absolutely not! What were you thinking? Coming here in these time? You _are_ going back home. Now, get going. Move!"

"No! I can fight! I was tortured here the entire year, while all of you were at home. I can take care of myself!"

"You're under-age!" Molly shouted at Ginny as Harry joined the group. "I won't permit it! The boys, yes, but you, you've got to go home!"

"I won't!" Ginny screamed finally succeeding in getting out of her mother's clutches.

"I'm in Dumbledore's Army-"

"- a teenagers' gang!"

Remus looked on nervously, torn between his desire to run off to the Great hall and to stay back and make sure that Ginny went back home. He understood how Molly's feelings; he did not even want to consider the idea of Teddy fighting in a battle no matter how old he gets. Ginny had looked beseechingly at all of them, especially Harry but was disappointed when all of them shook their heads and silently asked her to go home. Remus however, would like to give credit to Ginny, not many people could stand up to Molly. Before he could say anything, Percy Weasley clambered through the hole, diverting attention from Ginny. Remus felt extremely out of place, he glanced around and noticed Fleur was feeling the same.

"So- 'ow eez leetle Teddy?" She asked him, trying to cut through the tension with her cheerful tone.

Remus stared her nonplussed. Why would she start talking about Teddy in such a tense environment? Molly could blast both of them off right now. Wait, what if she is trying to ease the tension? What should he do? Play along? Molly probably won't damage him permanently.

"I- oh yes- he's fine!" Remus said horrified at how high pitched his voice sounded, choosing to ignore it he rambled on. "Yes, Tonks is with him- at her mother's."

The conversation fizzed out as soon as it started, the temperature of the room made his teeth chatter. Did the room read people's emotions too? Making the room colder when someone felt- how would someone feel if their estranged son returned to them at the dawn of a war? Remus never wanted to know the answer to that question but the silence was unbearable. He stuck his hands inside his cloak, fingers clasping around his wand ready to form a barrier should they start throwing hexes at each other. Thinking swiftly, he pulled Teddy's picture from his jacket. "Here, I have a picture!" He winced inwardly at his own shout.

Harry and Fleur's comments to Teddy's picture were drowned by the loud Weasley family reunion. Remus sighed with relief, almost gave in to a grin-

"Ginny!" Molly shouted. Apparently Ginny was trying to sneak away to the battle, while the family bonded with Percy. Remus sighed. He knew Ginny won't go back. He would have to find a middle ground, like he did with Dora. This room was safe enough, and the death eaters won't be able to enter the room as long as Ginny was in it.

He sighed thinking about what he was about say and how much he disliked his own suggestion. She would always be the tiny scared twelve year old girl for him. "Molly, how about this," he finally ground out. "Why doesn't Ginny stay here, then at least she'll be on the scene and know what's going on but she won't be in the fighting?"

Before Molly or Ginny could protest, Arthur agreed to this idea and all of them thankfully strode out for the Great Hall. As soon as Remus reached the hall, he was whisked away by Kingsley.

"Okay, we need a plan!" Kingsley said. "Apart from the Weasley twins you are the only one who knows that castle inside out. You can stay here. But can you suggest someone for the grounds, not many people are familiar with all of Hogwarts' grounds."

Lupin smiled, "I would suggest myself for Hogwarts grounds." Kingsley stared at him, brows furrowed.

"Having three animagi trouble makers for friends leads to weekly midnight excursions to discover the grounds. I know it like the back of my hands. I think Arthur and you should come to the grounds with me, I will point out strategic hiding locations depending on the number of people who would stay back to fight." Kingsley looked like he was about to protest. "The Weasley twins can take care of the secret passages into the school as well as of all the secret passages inside the castle. They know the castle better." Remus added quickly.

 _'_ _I know you are preparing to fight.'_ The high cold voice reverberated in his skull, bouncing from the walls, caressing his entire body. He could hear screams in the background, he looked at Kingsley who was swearing under his breath and shoved his hands in his pockets. His hand brushed against Teddy's photo someone he was here to fight for. _'Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me.'_ The voice continued. "Way to boost morale, you evil git." Kingsley muttered and Remus cracked a smile.

 _'_ _I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood.'_ Kingsley, Arthur, Bill, Neville, any and everyone including Remus snorted at Voldemort's claim of "not wanting to spill magical blood." They sat in silence, waiting for him to make his bargain to spare the lives of children.

 _'_ _Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight.'_

Remus eyes found Harry. His hand fingered his wand, ready to strike should Harry decide to sacrifice his life for all of them or someone else decided to hand him over. This wasn't Harry's fight alone! He thought angrily. They were all stuck in it, he shouldn't be held responsible for the lives of so many. He is but a child! A pulse throbbed in Harry's throat, as he looked around uneasily, guiltily even. Remus wanted to hug Harry and tell him that he was not responsible for the battle at hand. It was Voldemort's fault, not Harry's but before he could move a muscle, Pansy Parkinson rose. "But he's there!" She shrieked pointing at Harry. "Potter's _there_! Someone grab him."

Remus swore jumping to his feet, hurrying over to cover Harry. His movement was copied by the entire Gryffindor table which comprised of the students, the DA and the Order. Surprisingly, the Gryffindors were joined by the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws. For the first time Remus realized that Harry was not just a boy anymore. He was a leader in his own right and inspired fierce loyalty among the people who chose to follow him. McGonagall cut in briskly and ordered the students to move out, though she had to come down to send off half the Gryffindor table.

Remus would have watched the scene in wonder had Kingsley not pointed out that they had less than one hour to finish planning. Jumping into action Remus pointed out the strategic locations within the grounds. At 11:30, Kingsley strode up explained the battle plan to the rest of the people and started dividing people into groups. Remus led his group out, followed by Kingsley and Arthur. They nodded at the point of departure and headed out to their locations. The protective enchantments of the castle kept the death eaters and their dark pets out. But Remus could see them forming a horizontal line just outside the boundary of the enchantments. The air was filled with anticipation. As the clock struck twelve, tiny sparks started shooting around him, the night air becoming much colder than was normal for a night in May. Remus braced himself, praying silently for victory and if not that then a quick death. The footfalls, the jeers and taunts neared. The first curse flew over Remus' shoulder; he immediately flicked his wand to create a shield. There were shouts around him and the night sky was lit with thousands of different coloured streaks. Dolohov sent hex after hex at the werewolf who blocked it expertly before flinging hexes at him. The battle of Hogwarts had begun.

 **AN: You know what to do. Read and Review! Happy Reading! :D**


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